Nathan Allan of the Austin Ecological Service Field Office made an invited presentation, Genetics and the ESA, to a meeting of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s conservation geneticists in Ashland, Oregon.  The group was made up of Service geneticists from around the country working in Conservation Genetics Labs, mostly within the Fisheries Technology Centers.  The participants were engaged in a week-long meeting to develop a “Community of Practice” to enhance the Agencies application of genetics expertise.  The meeting was hosted by the National Fish and Wildlife Forensics Laboratory.  Nathan Allan provided a presentation on how Service biologists acquire and use genetic data to inform decisions in a variety of areas of the Endangered Species Program.  Nathan drew from a number of local projects in Texas to demonstrate the importance of genetic information and to highlight opportunities to collaborate on projects across Programs within the Service.